1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to novel insulating oil compositions comprising a major amount of an insulating oil and a minor amount of a product obtained as a result of a process which comprises reacting benzene with ethylene in the presence of an alkylation catalyst to obtain a reaction mixture containing largely unreacted benzene, ethylbenzene, polyethylbenzenes, 1,1-diphenylethane and heavier material, separating at least benzene, ethylbenzene and polyethylbenzenes from said reaction mixture and thereafter recovering from said heavier material a fraction whose boiling points fall within a temperature range of about 255.degree. to about 420.degree. C. as said product.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Insulating oils, for example, transformer oils, are required to have low power factors and high dielectric strengths, and to be able to maintain thermal and oxidative stability toward degradation and oxidation and to possess minimum tendency toward the formation of gas while in use. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,549,537 to Brewster et al. Insulating oils composed largely of naphthenes and/or highly-branched, non-cyclic, paraffins can be used satisfactorily as transformer oils, for example, but unfortunately, they possess the tendency to produce gas during service.